The publication of London's archaeology has benefited greatly from the initiation of the MoLAS monograph series, the house-style of which emphasises a synthetic approach and extraordinarily high production values, including the extensive use of colour illustrations. This, the 35th volume in this series, is the final publication of the excavations of the Roman amphitheatre discovered in 1988.

The discovery of the eastern entrance and arena wall of the London amphitheatre answered a long-standing question in the archaeology of the City, that of the location of the amphitheatre. The discovery excited a great deal of public interest. The excavators were extraordinarily fortunate in that the section of the building that survived on the site of the new Guildhall Art Gallery was the most identifiable, and the most informative section of an amphitheatre that they could have happened upon.

The report is focused on a primary study area defined by Basinghall Street, Aldermanbury and Gresham Street, which centres on the amphitheatre. A secondary study area provides a broad landscape context to the structure. The volume begins with introductory material, including project background, previous work in the study area and a summary of amphitheatre studies in Britain. The heart of the volume is Part 2, the description of the archaeological sequence, followed by thematic discussions in Part 3. These two parts are backed up by a series of detailed specialist appendices at Part 4. An accompanying CD-ROM contains catalogues and tables.

The archaeological sequence is extremely well presented, cogently written, and is clarified by extraordinarily fine line-drawings and photographs. The illustrations are enlivened by the inclusion of photographs showing work in progress, though the scrupulous cleanliness of the site in these shots does suggest that some were posed. The siting of the amphitheatre was dictated by topography, particularly with relation to a Walbrook tributary. The first phase of the building was timber-built, and the dampness of the site resulted in the recovery of timbers with a great deal of surviving detail, enabling the reconstruction of wood-working techniques, and of important lost structures, such as the gate in the timber arena palisade from the entrance passage into the arena. These timbers also allowed the establishment of a dendrochronological date for the building of the first amphitheatre within a year or so of a.d. 74, and for renovations c. a.d. 91. The timber amphitheatre was robbed, and parts of the area used for dumping prior to the construction of the masonry amphitheatre c. a.d. 125. The dumping produced large quantities of finds, which, however, may not be directly associated with the use of the amphitheatre. The masonry amphitheatre, slightly larger than its predecessor, featured a stone-built entrance passage flanked by two carceres, one of which showed evidence for a lifting door, allowing animals into the arena, and a masonry arena wall. Evidence from the south side of the amphitheatre affords very slight confirmation of the presence of a southern entrance and a fragment of a probable outer masonry wall. There was a late second-century renovation; the final use of the structure took place in the late third century, followed by desertion in the fourth.

The thematic aspects treated in Part 3 range widely across important issues raised by the excavation. The first relates to the reconstruction of the buildings. The first amphitheatre seems to have been a framed timber structure founded on ground-fast posts, with a corridor between the podium and arena wall. The big problem for the reconstruction of the masonry amphitheatre is the fragmentary and limited evidence for a masonry outer wall. This is admitted in the report (103). The only two British amphitheatres with stone outer walls are the two successive structures at Chester and the Caerleon amphitheatre, all associated with legionary forts, while civic amphitheatres in the civitates have earth banks with no outer wall at all. It is unlikely that this question will be solved, as demonstrated in fig. 138, which shows that there is no chance of the archaeological survival of the outer wall except in the area of the southern entrance. In the same area, a grid of post-holes suggests a timber external stair in the masonry phase. This would most logically accompany a timber outer wall; at Chester a stone-built external stair goes with the stone outer wall of the first amphitheatre. The seating in the masonry phase was again a timber frame based on ground-fast posts. It is probable that the back of this framework, boarded on the outside (figs 111–13) was the only outer wall the building possessed.

The context of the amphitheatre in the continuing development of the city is considered, as is the possible involvement of the army and administration in the construction, as suggested by stamps on some of the timber used. The attitudes of Londoners to the arena attested by small objects depicting arena scenes is discussed; there is little evidence for the activities of spectators, though a lead curse dedicated to Diana relates to one of the principal amphitheatre cults. Of great interest is Joanna Bird's discussion of the significant proportion of samian ware vessels from the site that depict arena scenes. A variety of reasons for the presence of these vessels is proposed, including as souvenirs, vessels for ‘fast food’ and their use in ritual banquets. Damian Goodburn's assessment of wood-working techniques is also very important. Though the discussion of the glass cullet within the dumps post-dating the timber amphitheatre is an important contribution to the study of Roman glass working, it is the only thematic essay not directly related to the amphitheatre structure and use, and might have been considered for separate publication. The final theme examined is the work of preservation and display of the excavation beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery, and the marking out of the arena wall in Guildhall Yard.

This is a thorough and detailed report of high quality. Despite the relatively small area of the amphitheatre studied in the excavation, the amount of information recovered is extraordinary. The volume must be seen as a major contribution, not only to the archaeology of London, but also internationally in amphitheatre studies. It stands as one of the very few exemplary modern publications of an amphitheatre excavation.